


Red! Transforme moi!

by Akemichan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura as Master Fu, Alternate Universe - Miraculous Ladybug, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, ChatNoir!Shiro, Ladybug!Keith, M/M, Miraculous Ladybug!AU, The lions as kwami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-09 04:23:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18909484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akemichan/pseuds/Akemichan
Summary: In a second, Keith flies down and grabs Shiro in his arms before landing with grace in what remains of the carpet.“Thanks,” Shiro says, as Keith places him gently on the ground. “How many times are you going to save me before this is over, Red Paladin?”“As many as it takes. But,” Keith smirks, “be careful, Shirogane. I’m suspecting you’re doing it on purpose.”Written for the SheithAUWeek Day 3: Monster & Magic





	Red! Transforme moi!

The time that precedes a fashion show is thrilling. People shouting from every side, needles kept between two lips, rushing steps as loudly music. Keith loves it. He loves being part of something, being useful. He likes it even more than the possibility of having three of his models as actual dresses for the fashion show.

“Everything good?” Krolia places a hand on his shoulder.

He nods. “Just a few more touch-ups to these pants.”

“Good.”

Kolivan, next to her, grunts a bit. At first, Keith thinks it’s his way to show his approval to Keith’s work; instead, it was an annoyance sound. “The star arrives,” he comments dryly.

Keith squints his eyes at the main door of the dressing room, in time to see a glimpse of Takashi Shirogane before he disappears behind the crown of people gathering to greet him. In a world based on appearance like the fashion one, a scar across the nose and a missing arm should be enough to kick someone out. Instead, despite all this, Shiro is still the most wanted model around the world.

He’s just so great.

Krolia pats Kolivan’s back. “We should go and introduce ourselves,” she says. “After all, he’s gonna parade with our dresses too.”

Kolivan’s reply is another grunt, but he follows her. Keith’s eyes remain on them until they disappear inside the noisy crowd. Then, he returns back to work at his pants.

Red squints her head from the collar of his shirt and tilts it on her side.

“Not now.”

Keith tries to press her back inside, but of course Red is a stubborn little kwami: she escapes from his fingers and flies along his arm, belly exposes.

“I’m working. I’m not interrupting my work only for greeting Mister best model in the world.”

Red sits down on the back of his hand, the one that keeps the needle. Keith sighs.

“Yes, I still have his poster in my room. Yes, he’s like the gorgeous man alive. No, I’m not going to embarrass myself in front of him. Not without my paladin suit, at least.”

It’s embarrassing enough that Kolivan, out of all people, decided Shiro will wear one of Keith’s designed dress. Shiro will hate it, Keith is sure. He still remembers with disappointment the day Shiro was invited to an exhibition that has Keith’s drawings in it and the disgusted tone he used when he asked “who is the author?”. Keith isn’t definitely going through that disappointment again. And probably Shiro hates him because he works for his company’s competitor.

Red flies to rub her entire small bodies against his cheeks before disappearing again inside his shirt.

“Thanks, Red.”

Feeling the kwami against his skin is relaxing. Keith isn’t the friendly type, sure, he has a couple of friends he’s fond of, but he has problems connecting with people. And in the mess a fashion show is, he doesn’t even have the time to be friendly. Red is a presence that reassures him.

He ends up sewing the pants and goes to the model that is supposed to wear them. After checking they fit perfectly, he put them in their hook, next to the jacket and the shirt that go along with them.

He frowns, noticing the other hook with his second dress is empty. He would prefer being present if the model wears it.

“Ehi.”

Keith turns around and freezes. Shiro is in front of him, a bright smile on his face and wearing his dress. Damn, he is gorgeous.

“You’re Keith Kogane, right? I was told you’re the tailor for this dress.”

Red growls a little inside Keith’s shirt. He regains his voice. “I’m also the designer.”

“Oh, really?” Shiro’s smile doesn’t faint. “I should have get it. The model is similar to the sketches I saw at the exhibition at the Marangoni Institute. They were yours, weren’t they?”

“Yes,” Keith answers unwillingly. Here it goes his plan to avoid embarrassment.

“I’d have liked to speak with you at the exhibition, but they told me you left before I had the chance,” Shiro continues. “I’m happy I get to try one of your dress all the same. They’re great.”

Keith blinks. Maybe he’s lying. Maybe this is his way to gain others’ approval. “Thanks,” he still says, and he couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Can I ask a favor?” Shiro says. “I feel the right shoulder is a little bit large.” He pulls the empty sleeve, where the right arm is supposed to be and isn’t.

“Ah, sorry. I’ll fix it right now.”

“No problem. It isn’t a big deal for me, but you know, I don’t want to risk to give a bad impression of your dress.”

Keith brings Shiro at his desk and lets him sits down in the chair. He takes the needles and the pins and starts fixing the shirt. From that small distance, it’s hard to focus on the work and not to the perfect profile of Shiro’s jaws, or the smell of his cologne. Only the fear of making things even more embarrassing by pining Shiro is keeping him on the line.

“Is this your first fashion show?” Shiro asks.

“No, I used to help my mother since I was in high school. This is the first time showing dresses created by my design though.”

“Your mother is Krolia, right? The co-head of the Blade of Marmora Company.”

“She is.” Keith can’t wait to hear Shiro’s thoughts about him working only because of his mother and not because of his talent.

“I haven’t had many occasions to work with her, which is a pity because the Blade of Marmora has very interesting designs,” Shiro comments. “I’m glad I get my chance with yours. I think you have a lot of potentials. Too bad you work for the competitor.”

He laughs. His laughter is beautiful too. And Keith curses because apparently Shiro has no intention to say things that put him in the group of the insufferable people, so Keith can forget about him entirely. No, Shiro has to be living perfection.

“Well, maybe you could stop working for the Galra Company and join us,” Keith proposes, once he finishes the job at the shirt.

Shiro stands up and shot him a smirk. “Ask me again once you’ll have your own fashion show, and I might accept.” He’s a challenge, but a friendly one. “Good luck for today.”

Keith follows his back as Shiro returns in the dressing room. Red moves a little, tickling him. “No, Red, you weren’t right,” Keith protested.

He returns to check his last dress for the parade. Luckily the work doesn’t permit him to remain distracted for too long, but it’s still hard to take off from his brain Shiro’s smile, or his words, or the fact that Keith got to actually touch him, even if only for patching his shirt. Once the fashion show begins, Keith frees himself from Kolivan’s watch and squints from the public so he can see Shiro walking on the carpet wearing his dress.

The public seems to approve the dress. Or maybe it’s because Shiro’s wearing it.

Either way, things are going great.

Too good for Keith.

It’s not like he brings misfortune on himself, he’s just used to have the interruptions at the worst moments. He can hope, but he doesn’t expect the fashion show being any different.

Shiro manages to reach the end of the carpet, when a loud rumor comes from below. It’s followed by an explosion and a Robeast appears floating near the ceiling. This time, it’s a hexagonal face that is basically all mouth, with two small stretching arms.

“Damn. I just know it.”

People around him yells and runs. Keith sees Shiro as he tries to help his colleagues to take off the carpet while the Robeast gets near. There isn’t much time: Keith fights between the running people to reach the nearest toilet and closes the door behind him. Red flies out his shirt.

“Come on, Red _. Transforme moi_!”

Red turns into a ray of red light that enters in his only fingerless glove. From it, the light radiates in all his body, covering him with his paladin armor, a red tight and elastic suit with the symbol of a v in his chest. His face was free but for a small red mask that covers around his eyes.

Keith returns in the main hall: most of the people escaped at that point. There are still some security guards that, in vain, try to shot at the Robeast. It has Shiro clasped on one of his mechanic arms, and it’s about to chew him in his giant mouth.

Using the force of his jetpack, Keith jumps and land on that very arm. He forms a ball of fire on his right hand and throws it directly inside the Robeast’s mouth. It eats the flame as it’s nothing.

“Okay, plan B.”

He places both hands on the Robeast’s hand. Once the temperature rises, the Robeast struggles from the hotness. Keith manages to not lose the grip until it opens the mechanic hand and lets Shiro go. In a second, Keith flies down and grabs Shiro in his arms before landing with grace in what remains of the carpet.

“Thanks,” Shiro says, as Keith places him gently on the ground. “How many times are you going to save me before this is over, Red Paladin?”

“As many as it takes. But,” Keith smirks, “be careful, Shirogane. I’m suspecting you’re doing it on purpose.”

“Maybe it is true.”

That damn smile. Keith doesn’t mind have to save him every time as long as he gets to see it. But he is a superhero, and he just can’t keep flirting with his big crush as much as he’d like to.

“Go out of it. It’s gonna become hot shortly.”

Shiro licks his lips and, for a second, Keith wonders if he’s about to do a bad pun. Instead, he nods and runs towards the nearest exit. Keith waits for him to disappear before turning his attention back to the Robeast.

“Let’s see how much fire can you digest.”

***

As soon as he reaches the hallway outside the main room, Shiro stops and leans a second against the wall. He sighs: did he really say he wants to get caught so the Red Paladin can save him? Was he really so stupid?

Black flies in front of his face and shot him a disapproving look.

“I know, I know,” Shiro says, tired. “I’m pathetic. But I deserve it, you know? I’m so bad at relationships it’s only fitting I fell for someone I don’t even know who he is!”

Black rubs against his cheek, comforting.

“Thanks.” But Shiro has no more time in self-deprecation. “Black, _Transforme Moi_!”

The purple light enters the ring he has at the middle finger of the left hand before spreading around his body. His suit his basically specular of Red’s one, save for the fact that it creates for Shiro a brand new right arm made of metal. As usual, Shiro tastes it opening and closing his fist a couple of time, sagging the feeling of having a second arm again.

Then, he returns to the main hall. The Red Paladin’s is still fighting with the Robeast. His fire doesn’t seem to disturb it at all. It takes every hit, but they only slow it down and not doing actual damages. The Red Paladin jumps around, still throwing balls of fire, as the Robeast tries to catch him with his stretching arm.

Taking advantages by the fact it’s distracted following the Red Paladin’s movement, Shiro jumps and lands on his head. Black energy forms in his palm and he presses it on the metal skin of the Robeast. It trembles and stumbles, but only a small burn remains once Shiro’s attack his done. The Robeast shakes his head and Shiro leaves before he would get out by it.

“About time,” the Red Paladin jokes as Shiro lands next to him.

“Sorry, Spitfire. You know I like watching you.”

“Your flirting is bad as usual.”

“That’s not nice, but it’s true,” Shiro admits. “I’m smarter when it comes to fighting.”

The Red Paladins avoids one of the mechanic arms. “You have an idea how to defeat this thing?”

“Maybe.” Shiro jumps on one of the mechanical arms. “It has a very big mouth, right? And it keeps it shut for most of the time. Maybe we can hit him from inside.”

He kicks the Robeast’s face hard enough he manages to have him opens the mouth only a little, just enough for Shiro to put a foot between his pointed teeth. Then, using the real hand as leverage, he pushed the upper part of the mouth upstairs. The Robeast shrugs, but the fire balls the Red Paladin is still shooting are enough to restrain it for a while.

“I wish you can flirt like you fight.”

“For this, it’s better the way I am and not the other way around.”

“That’s for sure.”

The Red Paladin jumps and enters in the mouth.

“Be careful,” Shiro says.

From outside, he sees the Red Paladin forming a ball of fire from his two hands, and then the fire spread around the inside of the Robeast’s mouth. Now that there isn’t any more distraction, the Robeast can concentrate on shutting his mouth. Shiro grits his teeth and puts all his energy on his robotic arm, until he hears a cracking rumor, as he dislocates the jaws.

Meanwhile, fire surrounds entirely the Red Paladins, and the hotness starts having an effect on the Robeast. After a last shake, his eyes turn off and it starts falling on the ground. The Red Paladin closes his fist, and the fire disappears. Shiro keeps the mouth opened with one arm and leans forward the other to help the Red Paladin.

But the falling of the Robeast makes him lose his balance, and he trips inside the mouth. The Robeast crashes on the ground and the mouth closes shut by the force of the blow, trapping both him and the Red Paladin inside.

“Damn,” he curses.

He tries to open it again, but his magical energy is gone. The Red Paladin is at his next, helping him, but he also uses all of his power to the fire. Both their miraculous bleeps, pointing the kwami won’t be able to hold their transformation any longer.

They exchange a look. “We need to go out now,” the Red Paladin says.

“We don’t have any energy left.” Shiro takes a long breath. “Listen. The best way is to let our kwami rest for a while, then transform again. With our full energy, we can open this mouth in a second now that the Robeast is out.”

There is a frown on the Red Paladin’s face, visible even with the mask. “We can’t reveal our secret identity.”

“It’s pretty dark here. And we… can remain back to back. I won’t peek, I promise.” Shiro gives a small smile. “Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

They sit down on the metallic ground of the Robeast’s mouth, back against back. Shiro feels the reassuring energy of Black leaving him, and the small kwami emerges from his ring. Shiro let him resting in his lap as he tries to not give away the fact he has only one arm.

In the silent and in the dim light the only audible things are their own breath. Shiro also feels the heartbeat of his heart pretty clear as it pulses in his ears. It’ll take at least fifteen minutes for the kwami to have energy again, a short period for someone else to arrive and try to save them, but a very long one for two people blocked inside the giant mouth of a robot.

Sadness fills the silence and the dark. It has been like that since the very beginning of their fights against the Robeast. Every time they defeat one of them, they are invested by a wave of sadness, something that enters in their entire being. Shiro knows the Red Paladin feels the same as him, but they never question the meaning. Shiro fears the Robeast are more human than they look and killing a human is a scary thought.

There, inside the Robeast’s mouth, the sadness is even more unbearable. Shiro swallows, feeling a cold hand around his throat. He feels the Red Paladin shivers against his back. They need a distraction while they wait for the kwami to regain their energy.

“So… how’s things?” he dares to ask. It isn’t easy to start a conversation without asking something that can give away a secret identity.

“Good, I guess?” the Red Paladin answers.

“Good. Good is good, isn’t it?” Smooth, Shiro, very smooth.

The Red Paladin chuckles. “It isn’t easy flirting with someone you don’t know, isn’t it?”

“To be fair, I’m pretty bad at flirting in normal life too. With the mask is easier, you don’t have to deal with second-hand embarrassment later.”

“I think I get the feeling.”

“Do you… do you have someone?”

“No.” A pause. “But I have someone I like.”

Oh. Disappointment flows over Shiro. “And…?”

“Well, until today, I thought he hates me. Turns out maybe he doesn’t.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Shiro blurts out. He will personally fight someone who dares to hate on the Red Paladin. Especially that lucky bastard.

“I wish I have your confidence,” the Red Paladin murmurs.

“You have.” Even if he can’t see him, Shiro can imagine the smile. “Is he one of the others?”

“The others?”

“Yes, you know, the other paladins.”

“Ah, no, no. They’re… uhm… people around. Friends I can trust the miraculous with when the situation required.”

“Ah.” It does make him a little better. “They made me a little jealous.” Damn. He says it out loud. “I mean, I understand they helped us a lot, they helped you a lot,” since most of the time they were called because Shiro had been captured by some Robeast and was unable to transform, “but… I really like being your partner.”

“Black Paladin.” The Red Paladin moves his right hand behind and grabs Shiro’s left one. “You are my partner. If sometimes we need some help, it doesn’t change that. I… I’m glad I have you as my partner.”

Shiro grips his hand as he doesn’t want to let it go anymore. “Thanks.”

“Thanks to you.” The Red Paladin doesn’t move his hand. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“How do you get your miraculous?”

It isn’t a question Shiro expects, but it isn’t strange per se. “It was a present. Well, the ring was,” he answers, returning with his mind at the day he received it from his boss Zarkon. “I don’t think he knew what it really was.” Shiro’s gaze moves on Black, still curls on his lap. “And Black didn’t tell me I can transform until the first Robeast appears.”

“I see.”

“What about you?”

The silence that stretches for too long gives Shiro the impression the Red Paladin doesn’t want to answer. Until he says, “a present too, but the person that gives it to me knows about the Miraculous.”

“You mean, they know what is it or they know… _know_.” The question trails off. Of course that person knew a lot about the Miraculous, otherwise the Red Paladin wouldn’t be able to summon other Paladins when they’re needed. Shiro wonders why Zarkon has Black in the first place. “Do you think I can meet him?”

“I don’t know.” The Red Paladin stretches his back, as he wants to add something but at the end he gives up. “Red rests enough. We should go before people come.”

Still back to back, they transform. Once Shiro has his metallic arm again, it’s easy for him to open the Robeast’s mouth to let them go. As the Red Paladin anticipated, the security guards are there, taking action to rid of the Robeast. They are surprised to see them, but they wave happily at Paris’s superhero. Shiro and the Red Paladin part way with an embarrassed smile. The time inside has been too personal to handle, and the sadness even more aggressive than usual.

Shiro moves behind a door and turns back in his normal self. Black hides in the pocket of the jacket as Shiro returns to the dressing room. When he reaches it, the lingering sadness has disappeared entirely. Most of the people are already returned there, looking for the disaster the Robeast caused. Shiro waves at someone, to let them know it was okay.

“Shiro!” The voice calling him is Keith’s. He reaches him and gives him an attentive look. “Sorry,” he says. “I saw… you getting caught by that robeast and I was worried…”

“Not my best moment, I had to admit,” Shiro says. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I ruined your dress.” And he gestures at the left sleeves, that is completely ripped off.

Keith shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re safe.”

“You too.” Inside his pocket, Black purrs a little. Shiro bit his cheek. “Ehi… The fashion show is kinda ruined but… do you wanna hang up sometimes? Just take a coffee or something.”

Keith is nice and talented. Shiro would like to become his friend and maybe give him a hand in the fashion world. He’s just… not the Red Paladin. But the Red Paladin has a life outside Shiro. Keith takes a lot of time to answer.

“Sure, why not?”

***

Shiro expects Keith’s laugh, but he’s still a little bit offended by it. Still, the laugh is beautiful and so Shiro forgive him for it.

“What the hell is that?” Keith manages to ask once he stops laughing. He points out at the hat, at the scarf and at the big dark glasses, all the things that hid completely Shiro’s face.

“Oh, well, you know…” Shiro gestures a little about the advertising behind him, that show a photo of him in underwear. A very big photo of him. Keith watches it a second before nodding.

“Okay, I get it. Sorry.”

“No problem. I know I look ridiculous.”

“It’s not that bad… The glasses are a little off I think.”

“Can we stop talking about it, please?”

“Sure. But can you eat or drink with those things on or…?”

“I’m leaving.”

“No, no, please. I’ll stop.” Keith grabs his empty sleeves and Shiro laughs.

“Fine. But this is the first strike.” He smiles. “So, you have any idea where to go?”

“Yes. Nearby there’s a nice cafeteria. The owners are a friend of mine’s parents and it’s pretty good.”

“I trust you on this.”

The cafeteria is in the area of Montmartre and it’s a nice place painted on yellow and light blue and with flowers at the windows. The smell of hot pastry fills Shiro’s nostril and he feels his mouth getting droll.

A nice woman at the counter greets Keith. “Hi, Keith! Hunk’s not here.”

“I know. I’m here just for the cafeteria today.”

She looks at Shiro with a strange expression and Shiro coughs gently. “Good Afternoon.”

Keith is smart enough to avoid questions about Shiro’s strange choice of clothes. “We’ll take your special selection of patisserie. And hot cocoa for me.” He turns to Shiro.

“A coffee, please.”

“Perfect. Just sit down, I’ll arrive in a second.”

As the woman turns to preparing their order, Keith gets near to Shiro. “Sorry if I chose for both of us, but you’ll thank me. You can choose the table, though.”

“Oh, thank you for the permission,” Shiro jokes.

They sit down outside, at the table in the right corner, next to a vase with pink flowers. Keith wasn’t wrong about the order: the woman at the counter brings them the coffee, the hot cocoa and a tray with at least twelve small samples of their cakes. They look beautiful and tasty.

And they are: Shiro takes one – the one with cream and whip – and eats it in one bit, enjoys it in fully. “Point one for you,” he comments. He sips his coffee: it’s also pretty good.

Keith smiles satisfied as he takes the chocolate cakes. He licks his lips and the point of his fingers with no shame.

“Despite the accident with the Robeast, I saw a lot of positive review about your dresses,” Shiro says.

“Ah, yes.” Keith nods. “Kolivan was pretty pissed off because most of the dresses were destroyed or ruined, but we received reviews based on video and sketches, so it’s good. I still hope my next fashion show will go smoother.”

“Yeah, well.” Shiro understands. It wasn’t his first time being attacked by a Robeast. “How’s working with Kolivan? Voices says it’s pretty strictly.”

“Are you interested in a change of company?” Keith smiles. He saves Shiro the necessity to answer, and continues, “it’s pretty good. Kolivan isn’t the funniest person alive, but he’s a great worker and he taught me a lot. Luckily my mother co-owns the Marmora so most of the time she manages to smooth Kolivan when he goes too far.”

“Your father is also in the company?”

“No, he’s a fireman.” There is a glint of pride in Keith’s smile. “He’s a true hero.”

Shiro thinks back at his accident and how he should thank all the people that helped him back them to save his life.

“What about you?” Keith takes another cake. “Zarkon doesn’t have a very good fame. Someone guess the Devil Wears Prada is inspired by him.”

Shiro laughs. “He’s not that bad. Especially when he hired me back then. He became worse after, you know, the tragedy.”

“Oh. Sure.” Keith bites his lip. “Did you know him? Zarkon’s son, I mean.”

“No. I met him only once or twice, but briefly. He died a couple of month after my arrival at the company.”

“Sorry. I didn’t want to mellow the atmosphere.”

“It’s okay.”

He sips his coffee as he thinks about another argument. At that moment, his cellphone rings. He takes a look at the screen and the number of the Galra Company is there. With a shrug and an apologetic smile, he stands up and, as he answers, enters in the cafeteria.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Hello to you, too, Sendak. What do you want?”

Shiro’s intention is to reach the toilet so he can speak without bothering the other guests, but Black trebles in his pocket and usually it’s bad news, so he stops in front of an empty table and look outside the window. He can see Keith from there, drinking his hot cocoa.

“The photoshoot of yesterday didn’t come off as I expected. You had to come back so we can do it again.”

“This is my free day.”

“Pointless. The boss wants the photoshoot done by tomorrow. Hey. Are you listening? I swear …”

Shiro isn’t listening anymore. He’s looking with wide eyes outside the windows and at the Robeast that is approaching.

“Sorry, I have to go.”

He turns off the call and rush to the toilet. Black comes out his pocked as soon as he closes the door. “Black. _Transforme moi_!”

The first thing Shiro does after turning in the Black Paladin is rushing from the toilet’s window and looking for Keith. He’s still outside the cafeteria, helping the rest of the people to get inside. The Robeast is approaching and, this time, it looks it can shoot lasers from both its long arms and its body.

Keith still isn’t entering the cafeteria, as he’s waiting for something. Shiro thinks it’s for the best, because he doesn’t want Keith to start looking for him. He jumps in front of him and takes him in his arms.

“Ehi!” Keith protests.

“Sorry, you’re on the line of fire.” Shiro jumps to the roof of the cafeteria and from there to a nearby roof. “Stay here until the Robeast is defeated.”

“Okay.” Keith nods.

Shiro smiles at him. Now that the situation with Keith is resolved, he returns back to fight the Robeast. They become stronger and stronger as the time passes. This one has very long arms and it can throw laser from an enormous amount of point both in the arms and in the body. The lasers make very difficult to attack the Robeast. Shiro is also worried about the fact that, even if he avoids the laser, they end up destroy the area around, so he has to be careful about where he moves.

Fire arrives from nowhere, as the Robeast is concentrated on Shiro. The flames wrap it entirely, but no enough to stop its arms. The lasers keep coming, with the difference that, momentarily blinded by the fire, it isn’t able to direct them well on Shiro.

One of the laser it the roof Shiro let Keith a few minutes before. “Keith!” He grits his teeth and he’s about to jump looking for him, when the Red Paladin lands near him. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I saw the boy out there and I brought it down.”

“Thanks.” Shiro looks a second to the Red Paladin, wondering if he understands Shiro – the real himself – knows that boy, but the Red Paladin’s attention is all on the Robeast.

“My fire isn’t working,” he says, “but your power might.”

“I tried to get near, but those lasers made it impossible.”

“I’ll try to distract him for you.”

The Red Paladin takes two step backwards and widened his arms. Flames erupt from there, licking his suit. As they separate from his body, they turn into small fire ball. With a sigh, he let them fly higher and become bigger. He moves them near the Robeast, but without attacking it. It notices them and starts to direct its lasers at them. Some of the fire ball get destroyed, but others remain and dodge, flying around in front of it.

Shiro runs to the other side of the Robeast. It doesn’t have lasers on his back, and its attention is all on the fire ball and on the Red Paladin. He looks at his metal arm and activates it: purple energy surrounds it and charges it. Shiro jumps high enough to land on the Robeast’s neck. He reserves only a small look at the surrounding to be sure the Red Paladin is still safe, before placing his palm on the Robeast’s skin.

“Cataclysm.”

He grits his teeth as his entire body shakes from the energy of his attack and he feels the Robeast trembling and freezing below him. The purple energy is still flowing when the Robeast fells on the ground, defeated. And then, here it is, the usual waves of sadness coming from it. Shiro is prepared, but each time it is harder and harder to accept.

Shiro blows his palm to calm down the energy and relax, regaining his composure. The Red Paladin joins him on the top of the fallen Robeast and packs him on the back. “Good job.”

“You too.”

“I gotta go. Sorry.”

“Sure. Sure…”

Shiro can’t say he isn’t disappointed, but they’re heroes with a secret identity. They can’t share often moments like the one they had last time. And he has something urgent to do too. He jumps from a roof to another, reaching an empty hall to transform back.

With Black’s annoyance, Shiro shoves him not so gently in his pocket as the rushes towards the cafeteria. Keith isn’t inside, so Shiro starts worrying. Around him, other people are searching for friend and family. It always happens after a Robeast’s attack.

“Keith!” he calls. “Keith!”

“I’m here!”

Keith is coming from another street, one near the building Shiro left him before. Relieved he isn’t hurt by the lasers, he grips his arm a little. “Are you okay?”

Keith nods. “The Black Paladin brought me to safety.”

“Oh, cool.” Shiro hopes to have enough poker face. “How is it, to be saved by one of Paris’ heroes?”

“You tell me,” Keith replies. “People say you get saved by the Red Paladin all the time.”

Shiro coughs a little. It’s true that Robeast appeared often in the place he is and, without his transformation, he’s an easier target to them. And being saved by the Red Paladin… “Not bad, right?”

“Right. But I would have preferred not to be interrupted.”

“You and me both.” Shiro remembers Sendak’s call from before and decides to ignore it. He can use the excuse of the Robeast, after all. His cellphone broke, no big deal. “But the day is still long, if you’re still free.” Shiro hopes, really hopes, that the sadness emanated from the Robeast doesn’t soak everything else.

It seems it doesn’t, because Keith’s face brightens. “I am.” But then his expression fells, as he shots a look at the cafeteria of his friend’s parent. It is a mess, because most people, escaping, threw the tables on the ground, and so the flowers and everything. Maybe the sadness it because the destruction the Robeasts bring.

“We should give them a hand,” Shiro says.

“It is okay with you?” Keith asks, unsure.

“Of course. I haven’t finished to taste all the pastries after all.”

The spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the cafeteria, and they receive an entire new tray of cake sample as a reward, alongside a milkshake made from heaven. It’s Shiro best date from a long time.

***

In the cafeteria, Keith sits down with his work group and eats a chicken sandwich that is probably been made three weeks ago. At some point, he gives up and throws it in the can.

“See? Look here.” Lance pocks at the screen of Pidge’s laptop, where the video of the defeat of the last Robeast is playing. A local channel television registered the fight. “If the Blue Paladin had been there, he would have frozen those arms, disarming the Robeast from his lasers.”

“It would have melted ice like nothing,” Pidge replies. “Vines would have been better, so the Green Paladin was the better choice.”

“No way.”

“Well, the Yellow Paladin would have opened a hole in the ground,” Hunk adds.

“For hiding himself inside!” Lance shakes his head. “It’s pretty oblivious the Blue Paladin is the best choice.”

“Which one?” Pidge asks. “We know very well two people are behind the Blue Paladin’s mask, a boy and a girl.”

“Well, the girl. Of course.”

Keith listens to their conversation pretending to not paying attention. He feels Red moving inside his pocket. Even Red knows Keith is a bad liar, the reason he wants as much as possible avoiding questions about the Paladins.

“How do you think the Paladins are chosen?” Hunk asks. “I mean, we never see a fight without Red or Black, while we can’t see the others as much.”

Silence feel on the group, as they look at each other. “Maybe the other are pretty busy people,” Pidge says. “Maybe they live outside Paris most of the time.”

“This doesn’t explain why there are two Blue Paladins,” Hunk answers back.

Keith can’t refrain himself anymore. “Maybe there aren’t only two Blue Paladins,” he says. “We don’t know who there is under their mask. Maybe, every time there is a different Yellow Paladin, or a different Green Paladin too.”

“Nah, that’s just not possible,” Pidge says, and she turns her head again to her laptop.

“And how do you know?”

“It just…” she trails off. “It doesn’t make sense, that’s all.”

Red is enjoying the scene as much as Keith. It’s funny to see the three of them trying to play indifference, unable to tell what they know because they aren’t supposed to know. To not embarrassed them more, Keith drops the conversation and takes off his cellphone. There is a message.

“Well, see you.”

“You don’t stay for the afternoon lessons?” Lance asks.

“Sorry, I have work to do.”

He takes his backpack and leaves the cafeteria. Eight metro stops later, he reaches the quartier of Paris next to the monumental cemetery. There is a small house there, caught between two taller building. It looks out of place, and it is. Keith guesses magic has something to do with it.

He rings at the door.

“Oh, Keith! Here you are!” Coran moves from the door to let him enters. “You’re just in time for tea and biscuits.”

“Oh, thanks, But I hope you don’t call me for that.”

“No, it’s just a nice addition.”

Once the door is closed behind them, Red emerges from his pocket and flies into the dining room. She lands directly into the tray of biscuits and puts twice in her mouth.

“Come on, Red!” Allura protests, with a slight frown. Blue takes the cup of tea and brings it to her. She accepts it with a smile. “Thanks. You should teach your kwami better,” she adds, in Keith’s direction.

“Hello to you too,” Keith comments drily. He sits down in the armchair in front of hers. “And you know better than me that Red doesn’t listen very well.”

“Yeah, she’s a brat.” But there is an affectionate tone in her voice, and she lends forward to rub Red’s small head with the point of her index finger. Red scowls as she eats another biscuit.

“Ah, yes, it’s a little troublemaker this one, isn’t it?”

Coran pours a cup of tea for Keith too, while Blue offers him a biscuit. Keith accepts them both with grace and let Blue brushes his hand a little, until Red starts growls. With a snort, Blue lands in the small table and joins Green, who is using a stray to drink the tea for a cup too big for her. Yellow is sleeping in Allura’s lap, a small ball curled up.

“So, what is this emergency you talked about?” Keith asks, before eating the biscuit.

Allura takes off her cellphone and shows him a website. From Keith’s knowledge, it is a meeting website. There is no photo in the profile of the person, and the description only says, “I’m looking for Miss Blue Paladin. Please. I fall in love with you since the first moment I saw you. I want to meet you. Please respond.”

“Oh,” Keith comments.

“I wouldn’t mind too much,” Allura says, “but this kind of announcements are everywhere. I found them on every meeting website, on Facebook, on twitter, even on eBay!”

“And do you think is a trap?”

“Of course it is,” Allura replied. “And a poor one. I don’t think Haggar is behind it, but still we need to find out who they are and why they’re doing it.”

“The best course of action would be answer to one of the announcement and see their next move,” Coran says. “It is possible they will set up a meeting. We can’t go there without a backup plan and your assistance.”

Keith sips his tea. “Have you wondered why the Blue Paladin?”

“The _girl_ Blue Paladin,” Allura specifies. “They’re sexist. They think it’ll be easy with a girl.”

“Pidge’s a girl too,” Keith points out.

“Oh. Right.” Allura crosses her arms. “Then maybe they have some counterattack only from the Blue Paladin, and not against the Green Paladin.”

“Or maybe,” Keith says, “it’s Lance all along who had this weird feeling that he’s your soulmate since you both are the Blue Paladin.”

“Oh, that’s ridiculous.” Allura watches Keith’s slightly movement on the eyebrow and opens her mouth in shock. “My God. It is true?”

“Well, it’s not like I saw him writing those posts,” Keith answers. “But since you transformed in the Blue Paladin, he’s been pestering me every time I bring Blue to him because he wants me to introduce you. Last time I said to him I don’t know who you are to knock him off and that is probably his plan B.”

“I can’t believe it.” Blue moves to Allura’s shoulder and gives her a small pat.

“Positive thing, we don’t have any more enemies than Haggar,” Coran says.

“You should have told me.” Allura takes Blue and pinches his cheek.

“I think he wants me to introduce you two.” Keith takes another biscuit, saving it from Red’s wrath.

“Absolutely no. Our identities must remain secret for our own safety.” She takes a long sigh and she allows herself to relax in her armchair. For the movement, Yellow lifts his head a little, annoyed, before curls again in her lap. “Why you had to choose a womanizer as the Blue Paladin?”

“You told me Blue is the kwami for people with potential,” Keith replies. “You should have chosen another kwami. Pidge and Hunk wouldn’t have done that.”

“Let’s say we’re both at fault here.”

“Oh, no, no. I won’t take the fault for Lance’s actions.”

Allura smiles. “Sorry. I made a fuss over everything.”

“You didn’t know.” Red flies to Keith’s arm and he offers her his cup. She licks the tea remaining sitting on his arm. “By the way, do you make any progress in the search of White?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Allura shakes her head. “Neither I manage to find information about Haggar. I know she’s using a corrupted version of the magic that created the kwami, but this only lead isn’t brought me anywhere.”

Keith looks at her eyes, the anger that flares on them as she speaks about Haggar. “Listen,” he says. “I had the chance to speak with the Black Paladin.”

Immediately, Allura frowns. “I know you consider him your partner…”

“He is my partner.”

“…but Black has been stolen from here. From his house. It wasn’t mean to happen. And if he is the thief-”

“He isn’t,” Keith replies. “The ring that kept Black was a present.”

“So he told.”

Keith frowns and he turns his eyes off her. He understands Allura, he does, but sometimes she refutes to accept there could be another way. Red places under Keith’s neck and purrs.

“The kwami were created by Alfor to maintain the balance of the universe,” Coran says. “They weren’t supposed to be use for fighting, and they weren’t supposed to be given to anyone without the Master’s approval, to avoid them being corrupted by dark magic.”

“I already know it.” Keith caresses Red’s head. “But if the Black Paladin received the kwami from someone else, he’s not his fault. Maybe he can help. He helped me a lot.”

“Maybe not,” Allura agrees. “But we can’t risk revealing our identity to him. He may think he’s right, but we don’t know if someone is controlling him.”

Keith doesn’t answer. They had the same conversation over and over and he hasn’t managed to convince Allura yet. “I get it,” he says. “I’m just lonely sometimes.”

She places her hand on his knees. “We are here for you.”

“I know,” he says, grateful. But Allura doesn’t fight at his side each time. It’s different. “But defeating the Robeast is becoming more difficult each time. I need allies. I need the Black Paladin.”

Allura ignores the second part. “They’re stronger?”

“Yes, but it’s not the only reason. It is the sadness… Every time I feel sad. Sad for them, sad for my victory. I think they’re emanating it.”

“This is very possible,” Allura comments. “Corrupted magic comes from negative emotion, negative feeling. Humans should be able to take them under control, but if they don’t, they’re easily victims of the darkness. Whoever Haggar is, her magic is created by sadness.”

“If we manage to find her, we can defeat her by making her happy?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the reason of her sadness can’t be changed.” She sighs. “Sometimes we just can’t save them all.” Her hand is still on his knees. “It doesn’t mean we won’t try until the last breath.”

“Of course.”

“Most important, you have to be happy to fight her. Keep positive despite all the negative feelings around you.”

“And speaking of more positive things…” Coran chips in. “How was your date? The one with the super handsome world model?”

“How…?” Keith pales. “How did you know?”

“Well, it’s online. Someone photographed the two of you at that café and put it online,” Allura comments.

“I can’t believe it.”

“Don’t worry, young boy,” Coran laughs. “You aren’t so famous yet, nobody will recognize you.”

“Well, Kolivan might.” Keith doesn’t want a lecture about sidelining with the enemy.

It was all the Robeast’s fault. It was the Robeast that forced Shiro to take off his disguise. He just hopes Shiro wouldn’t have problems because of it.

***

“And, of course, you won’t see him again,” Zarkon finishes his lecture about the pictures.

“With due to all respect, our agreement doesn’t involve my private life,” Shiro replies.

“No, but our agreement,” and Zarkon puts a lot of weight in that word, “affirms you shouldn’t put the Galra Company in embarrassment. Now I receive calls and calls from journalists asking me if you’re leaving for the Marmora Company. You understand my position.”

“I do,” Shiro says unwillingly.

“That’s all.”

Black growls inside his pocket. Shiro knows Black’s right, but at the same time he doesn’t want to exacerbate his relationship with Zarkon. He isn’t himself recently, not as the first time he hires Shiro. And he’s getting worse.

“I won’t see Keith again.” At least, Zarkon can’t forbid him to see the Red Paladin.

“Good.”

Thinking about the Red Paladin made Shiro remembers something. “About the ring you gave to me…”

Zarkon frowns. “Ring?”

“Yes. The one at Christmas, the first year I started working here.”

“I never gave a present to you.”

Shiro blinks. “Oh. I must remember wrong, I guess.”

He doesn’t. He’s pretty sure it was Zarkon’s himself to approach him at the Christmas Party of the company and congratulated to him with that present. Still, he doesn’t press further. There could be a reason for Zarkon’s behavior.

“I think we’re done.”

“Yes.” Shiro nods and excuses himself from the room.

He put his hand inside his pocket and Black rubs against his palm. “I know,” he murmurs. “There is something strange. You don’t remember anything?”

He feels the sorrow and the sadness inside Black and he doesn’t dare to ask further. Whatever secret Black is hiding, Shiro decides to trust him. Until that moment, he doesn’t have any reason to believe Black is plotting against him.

“Champion.”

Shiro turns at the calling and sees Honerva, Zarkon’s secretary, standing in front of him. She isn’t the only one to call him that, but she’s the one that created the nickname for him, after Shiro was able to win the cover of Vogue for three times in a row. Shiro isn’t sure he likes it.

Also, Honerva is a little bit unnerving. Zarkon trusts her more than anyone, and this is understandable since she was his wife, but that also means Honerva is basically the vice-president of the company. It happens rarely that Zarkon opposes to her decisions.

“Yes?”

“Can I speak to you in private for a second? It’s important.”

“If it’s about what happened with the paparazzi…” Shiro begins. He doesn’t want another lecture.

“It’s not about that.”

Without waiting for the answer to her question, Honerva points at her office, opens the door and enters, fully expecting Shiro to follow her. With a sigh, he does. Black trembles a little inside his pocket and for a second Shiro stops, but it’s too late. He’s already inside the room and the door closes by itself behind him.

The room is dark, unnaturally dark. Shiro blinks to adapt his eyes and moves his head looking for Honerva. It’s like she disappears. Black trembles again and Shiro grips him to reassure him. He turns to open the door, but it’s locked.

A figure appears suddenly at his side and throws him in the ground. Shiro recognizes Honerva even if she’s unrecognizable: her perfect hairs are now down, messy, her eyes are big, yellow, and the mouth is turned into a scary smirk.

“Give me… give me… The miraculous…”

She grips Shiro’s arm and tries to take off his pocket. And Shiro understand is facing the true identity of Haggar, the witch that keep sending Robeast around Paris. So the Red Paladin is right: she’s looking for the Miraculous.

“I search for them… I need them…”

Shiro kicks her away, smashing her against the desk, and he jumps still. Black flies out of the pocket. It isn’t the time to worry about keeping his identity a secret, and he can stop the Robeast if he defeats Haggar now. “Black. _Transforme moi_!”

Black turns in the usual purple lights, but as he tries to enter the ring, black sparkles of electricity fly around. Black is pushed backward and he smashes against the glass of the windows. “Black!”

Shiro rushes to him. He feels something is wrong with his own legs: in the dark, he looks at them and sees dark spreading upon his pants, trapping him and paralyzing his muscles. The waves of sadness, the same of the Robeast, invest him and freezes all his muscles.

Laughers spread around him: Honerva disappears again and, at that moment, Shiro has no idea where she is. It looks she’s everywhere and nowhere at the same moment. Black regains his composure and tries to attack the dark, with the only result to risk being captured that the substance. He growls, angry.

“Resistance is futile, Champion,” Honerva says. “Give me your Miraculous, or you’ll be turned into a Robeast too.”

Shiro takes a deep breath, trying to keep the sadness under control. He closes his eyes a second. When he opens them again, Honerva is in front of him, ready to take off his ring. Shiro head-butts her, making her stumbles for the time necessary for him to uses his mouth to grab his ring from his finger. He opens the window behind him and spits the ring outside.

“Black! Go!” He feels Black’s hesitation. “Go!” he screams again, and this time Black nods and flies outside, following the trace of the ring.

The last thing Shiro ears before the substance swallows him entirely, sinking into darkness and sadness, is Honerva’s scream of anger and disappointment and, for him, it’s a victory.

***

Lance was the first one to notice that something is off. They are in the library, studying. Pidge has his eyes focused on her laptop, Keith is reading, Hunk is scribbled down his essay. Only Lance is annoyed and, as he tries to distract the other out of his boredom, his eyes tend to wander on the big windows next to their table.

“Ehi, look out!”

“Lance, please, stop,” Pidge comments. “If you don’t want to study, go take a walk.”

“No! I mean for real this time! Look!”

There is a sort of panic in Lance’s voice that makes everyone turn their head at the window and, a second later, stand up to look better. They can see the Eiffel tower in the far and, on the top, a purple sphere surrounds by thunders. Dark clouds spread from it and start to cover the sky.

Red grumbles inside Keith’s pocket and he swallows, as he realizes he can feel the force of the dark magic, stronger than any Robeast he faced until that moment. Around them, the other people in the library are panicking too: they can’t be seen because the two libraries stop the vision of the other table, but their agitated voices are audible.

Lance startles and screeches as a dark ball smashes against the glass window. Hunk hides behind him, while Pidge, careful, squints her eyes to see as the small ball is moving on the windowsill.

“No way…” she exhales, and the curiosity pushes the other three boys towards.

Keith’s eyes bulge: it isn’t a ball, but a kwami. A black kwami that grips his small paws around a silver ring. There is no doubt in Keith’s mind he’s the Black Paladin’s kwami. In a swift, he opens the window and Black jumps in his arm.

“It is-” Lance starts, then he stops. “What it is?”

Keith holds Black gently in his palm. Black is trembling, but there is also fierceness and anger in his small body. He can speak with Keith in the same way Red does, floating his mind with consciousness. Red roars and bites the clothes of the pocket.

The revelation hits Keith as a cold shower. It happened before that the Black Paladin didn’t arrive in time to help him with a Robeast, but it was different. The Black Paladin’s secret identity could make made him unable to transform from time to time. Knowing he was in an actual danger is a totally different matter.

Keith shots a look at the others. They are worried, because of course they also understand what means having the Black kwami with the Miraculous loosing around instead with his Paladin. It isn’t the time to keep secret anymore.

“Let’s go,” he orders. He doesn’t wait for them to follow and heads to the exit.

“Uhm… Keith?” Hunk calls, as he reached him. “The safe bunker of the school is the other way. You know, standard procedure in case of a Robeast’s attack.”

“We don’t have time for that. The Black Paladin is in danger and we need to help him.”

“Well, in that case, we should…” Lance starts, unsure how to explain without exposing. “Like, wait for the Red Paladin? He would know how to help. We are just normal boys after all. And girl. Because Pidge’s a girl. Normal boys and a normal girl.”

Pidge snorts. “I agree. I’m not sure running towards the danger is a good idea.”

Keith sighs. “We don’t have the time,” he repeats, “for you to stay here and wait for the Red Paladin to bring you the Miraculous. We need to take them as soon as possible.”

He can see the surprise in their eyes. “And how in the hell do you know that?” Lance protests, before Red gets off from Keith’s pocket and places herself in front of Lance’s face. She sticks out her small tongue, then she returns to Keith and lands on his shoulder.

“Let’s go,” Keith says.

“You are the Red Paladin?” Hunk’s voice is high. “How? When? Where?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure those are the right questions,” Pidge comments. “For all this time, Keith? For real?”

“I can’t believe it! You owe us an explanation! And the Blue Paladin’s phone number!”

“I’ll give all the explanations later.”

The underground is closed, so they had to walk until Montmartre. Both Lance and Hunk doesn’t stop complaining about it. When they reach Master Allura’s house, the sky is totally pitch black and they can hear the roars of the Robeast in the far. The atmosphere is gloomy: not only darkness takes over, but even the sadness it brings with her. Keith must admit he’s happy Lance’s with them: he’s the positive one, and they need him right now, to contrast bad feelings.

“Which place is this?” Lance asks.

Coran opens the door before Keith has the chance to knock. “My boy, finally-” he stops, noticing the others behind Keith. “Oh, well, this is unexpected.”

Blue, Green and Yellow fly through the door and smash against the chest of their paladins. Keith smiles, as Red purrs from his shoulder. They have a great relationship and Keith can understand the other kwami fell lonely, to be separate each time from the people they offer their power to.

“Get inside,” Coran says, and they obey.

Allura sits at her usual armchair, and she doesn’t look surprised to see that Keith brings the other with him. She reserves them a brief smile, before her expression becomes serious and she gestures at the other chairs and the sofa.

“Please, Paladins. The situation is dangerous and we will need the help of all of you.”

Pidge elbows at Lance, that is staring with open mouth at Allura. Hunk smiles at her, a little embarrassed. “So this is, like, the kwami’s lair?” he asks.

Coran is about to start his usual speech about this being Master Alfor’s, the alchemist, house and how in the past he was able to create life in the form of kwami, but Keith cut him off.

“Master, the situation is even more worrisome.” And he opens his palm, where for all the journey he kept Black safe.

Black moves to the table, placing the ring there, before jumping in Allura’s lap. She brushes him. “Welcome back, Black.”

Even from the distance, Keith can feel the sorrow of Black. He’s happy to be reunited with the other kwami and with the Master, but his loyal still belong to the person that hides behind the mask of the Black Paladin.

“I understand your concern,” Allura says. “But right now we must focus on defeating Haggar. The Black Paladin might be a good man, but he wasn’t chosen and-”

Black growls and he turns on Keith.

“We are going to save the Black Paladin first,” Keith states.

Allura sighs. “I know you see him as your partner-”

Again, she is interrupted. “He is my partner. He helped me out countless time before and I won’t give up on him.”

“We don’t even know where he is.”

“Black knows. He was captured by Haggar, that much is clear.”

“Master,” Coran intervenes. “The Black Paladin has spent much time with Black, it wouldn’t be unsurprising if there is some magic lingering on him. And if he’d been captured, thus could explain the force of the magic you’re feeling.”

“That’s true,” Allura admits. “Right now, the attack comes from two different points. The Eiffel tower, that spreads dark magic around, and the Triumph Arc: Robeasts keep creating from it.”

“Haggar has the Black Paladin, so she probably thinks she has the upper hand,” Keith comments. “This is her last attack. We can defeat her if we attack altogether.” Both his and Allura’s eyes are on the other Paladins.

Pidge’s determined, Hunk looks a little worry, but he nods. Only Lance looks perplexed. “Why did you choose us?” he asks, at last.

Keith blinks. “Why shouldn’t have?”

“I mean… I’m not a hero. I’m a boy from Cuba that likes drawing even if isn’t so good at it?”

“The first time the Black Paladin can’t help me,” Keith tells, “I was alone in the fight. What I needed back then wasn’t a hero. It was a friend that could watch my back.”

“Okay…” Lance smiles. “I think I can do that.”

“Good.” Keith pats his kneels before standing up. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Since you want to save the Black Paladin first, the best course of action would be reaching the Eiffel Tower,” Coran says. “I suspect Haggar is keeping him there, using his energy to charge the dark magic.”

“But we can’t let the Robeasts roam free,” Allura adds. “There are too much of them and they keep coming. You’re four: spit up in two teams and one of you will take care of the Robeast. Once the Black Paladin is safe, you’ll attack the Triumph Arc together.” They all nods. “Now, take your Miraculous and transform.”

Pidge puts on her bracelet and Hunk his bandana. Lance hesitates to take his necklace, his eyes fixed on Allura, who nods. Black moves from Allura’s lap and land on the ring. He roars in Keith’s direction.

“I… I can’t,” Keith says. “I am the Red Paladin. You’ll get your Paladin back… I’ll make sure of it.”

Allura shakes her head. “Black wants to help too. He wants you to use his power.”

Keith can still feel the light weight of Red on his shoulder. “Master, what about you…”

“Black chooses you.”

Red purrs in Keith’s ear. Then, she slowly slips on his arm until she reaches the gloved hand. With her small teeth, she tries to take it off. Keith understands and helps her. Then, he takes the ring and put it on, with the mental promise to give it back to the rightful owner.

“Black. _Transforme moi_!”

The energy of Black feels different, and so the armor that wears. He doesn’t have a metal arm either. But Keith can feel the force of the Black Paladin, and the reassuring spirit of Black in him. Red looks at him and nods. She takes a jump, glove still in her paws, and places it on Lance’s kneel.

Lance blinks. He looks around, but all the others are froze. So slowly, he rubs Blue’s small head. He takes off the necklace and leans forward to Allura. “Will you take care of Blue for me?” he says. “Red and I have a friend to help.”

Allura smiles and nods. She takes the necklace as Lance put the glove on.

“Be careful with Red,” Keith warns, after they both transformed. It’s strange to see his armor on someone else, but he knows Red is in good hand. “Let’s go.”

When they leave Allura’s house, the situation is already out of control. The sky is completely dark and there are Robeast all around.

“Okay, guys,” Keith starts. “Let’s split up. Lance, you come with me to the Eiffel Tower. You all, go to the Triumph Arc and stop as many Robeast as you can. We’ll see there.”

They all nod, before jumping on the nearest roofs and rush away. Lance follows Keith in the direction of the Eiffel Tower, but soon enough a Robeast reach them. It looks it is intended to protect the area around so they won’t be able to stop the dark magic at the tower.

Lance throws a couple of fire balls at it, enough to stop it for a second. “Go,” he yells to Keith. “I’ll keep it busy.”

“Be careful,” Keith advises him, before nodding.

With the Robeast out of the way, Keith lands on the tower with ease. He looks around, tensed, until he sees a figure approaching him. He keeps his breath as he recognizes him.

“Shiro…?”

His usually empty sleeve his now ripped, and a gigantic and demonic arm pulsing dark energy is there. Shiro’s gaze is off, as he doesn’t recognize Keith.

“Shiro was the Black Paladin all this time…?” Keith whispers. Black’s feeling rushes on his blood, revealing the truth. “Don’t worry, we’ll save him.”

It isn’t going to be easy. Shiro looks as he is hypnotized, or better, just an empty body that moves only for the mission to kill Keith. Keith tries to speak through him, but Shiro isn’t even listening. The only positive thing in that situation is that Shiro hasn’t been transformed into a Robeast. He still has his body, even if it is controlled by the fake arm. There is still hope to save him and Keith has no intention to stop until he manages to do so.

“Black, maybe if you talk with him…”

Inside him, Black shakes his head. Keith understands Black wants to help Shiro as much as Keith, but he’s scared of being vulnerable in front at someone that has dark magic. Keith is ready to give it a shot. As he dodges Shiro’s blows, he concentrates the purple energy in the palm of his hand and then closes his first to hide it. He is on the edge of the tower, in front of Shiro, who, with a leap forward, manages to pin him down on the cold iron.

“Shiro, please…” Then, he let Black separated from him. “It’s me.”

Shiro stops. A second. “Keith…?”

It’s enough: Keith grabs the fake arm. “Cataclysm!” He feels the metal crumbles under the strength of his blow and the dark magic flashes against him and then disperses in the air. Shiro yells, his human hand presses against his temple as he stumbles backward.

He fells, but Keith is fast to grab him before Shiro can hit the ground. Shiro blinks: his eyes look more lively now. Black grabs Shiro’s shirt with his small paws. This time, the sadness Keith feels is real, is his own, alongside with the relief to have Shiro safe in his arm.

“K-keith… what…?”

“It’s okay,” Keith says. “It’s okay now.”

Shiro blinks again. “I tried to kill you.”

“You weren’t yourself.”

Shiro nods, even if he doesn’t look convinced. He smiles at Black and rubs his head. “How do you find me?”

“Black came to search help for you,” Keith explains. “I am the Red Paladin.”

Shiro is surprised, for a second, but then his sighs. “I should have known,” he comments. “Where is Red now?”

“With a friend. The situation is a little bit dangerous right now.” He looks around and, in the distance, he can see Lance still fighting with the Robeast. “Do you remember what happened?” he asked, but before Shiro has a chance to answer, another Robeast joins the battle, leaving Lance to deal with two of them.

“You have to go, Keith.”

“But you’re the Black Paladin,” Keith protests.

“I’m not in the condition to fight right now,” Shiro replies. “And Black trusts you. After all, you are my partner.”

Keith smiles. Black moves on his shoulder and he nods. “You’ll be fine?”

“Don’t worry. Go save Paris.”

***

Shiro waits until Keith and the new Red Paladin defeat the two Robeast before moving. His mind is still fuzzy and his body slowly, but he has to do something. He knows Keith can handle things, and this was the reason he lent Black to him. It doesn’t mean he isn’t going to help as he can. Action will make the bad feelings go away.

He climbs down the tower, the cellphone miraculously in his pocket. He calls Thace. “Where is Honerva?” he demands, without even greeting him. Luckily, Thace is also a man of action.

“She said she’s at Garla Manor.”

“Thank you.”

It isn’t far from the place Shiro is, but with bus and metro blocked because of the battle, he still takes time to reach it. Shiro hopes the Paladins will be fine in the meantime. He rings at the gate, but no one answer. It’s strange, because there are a lot of servants working there, but maybe they are hiding because of the battle.

Even with an arm, he manages to jump on the other side of the wall, then break a window and enters in the house. It is completely silent, no a sign of person around. Shiro heads for Zarkon’s office: it’s empty too, but the family painting that hung behind the desk was moved, revealing a secret passage behind.

Shiro climbs the stairs carefully. He’s surprised to realize there is an entire hidden garden behind the house. Dark energy comes from something Shiro can’t see very well on the other side of the garden. He gets near, but more steps he takes, more sadness descends upon him. He swallows, and blinks, trying to not being overwhelming by it. It’s a sadness very similar to the one he felt as he defeated the Robeast, so Shiro suspects that thing, whatever it is, could be the source of all Robeast.

As he is in front of the thing, the sadness is so strong Shiro is crying even if he doesn’t realize it. He isn’t his sadness, but it doesn’t matter: it is something that attaches in every fiber of Shiro’s body. In the middle of the dark magic, Shiro can see a more definite object. He concentrates his mind on positive thoughts as he leans his hand to grab it: dark magic wraps around his arm and the sadness becomes icy, frozen his entire being.

He grits his teeth and manages to grab the thing, that is small enough to be inside his palm. He pulls it behind and takes two steps backward. The dark magic screeches, but it’s disappearing. He opens his palm: the sadness is vanishing too, revealing the thing it’s a pin.

A second later, a small white kwami emerges from it.

Shiro blinks, surprised, but he’s easy to recover. Unlike Keith, he doesn’t have the occasion to meet other kwamis, but they should have got the power of their enemies came from a kwami too. White looks at him, head tilted a little.

“Ehi, little one,” Shiro smiles. “You’re safe now.”

Shiro’s eyes lift: the dark magic is completely disappeared, revealing a glass sarcophagus under it. The body of Lotor Galra, still intact even if a year had passed since his death. It looks as he’s sleeping. It’s at the same time creepy and gloomy.

White flies near Shiro’s heart and fills all his questions: Honerva became crazy because of his son’s death and she tried to bring him back to live. She stole both White and Black, to use their magic to do so, but her sadness was so strong that everything she touches turned into dark magic. Zarkon, realizing her plan, manages to hide Black, but White is used to create the Robeast in order to capture the other kwamis.

“It means now Honerva isn’t able anymore to create Robeast?” Shiro asks. White shakes his head. Free from the sadness, White isn’t the source of the dark magic anymore.

“Do you want to help me?” Shiro sees how many Robeast Honerva created this time: it’s probably her last try, her last way to save her son. Shiro can see Keith and the other fighting and he doesn’t want to let them alone.

“White! _Transforme moi_!”

The white armor doesn’t give him the arm as Black, but Shiro still feels the energy running through him. And he has wings, white, large wings that let him flying fast and steady.

He reaches the Triumph Arc in a second: the others are still fighting and Shiro can see how tired they are. Only two Robeasts remain, alongside with a person that is controlling them. Behind the armor Shiro realizes it’s Zarkon.

The Green Paladin’s vine blocks one of the Robeast in the ground, and the new Red Paladin defeats it with his fire. On the other side, the Blue Paladin ices the Robeast and the Yellow Paladin buries it under a pile of rocks.

Shiro realizes he doesn’t feel the sadness anymore. It can still affect others, but not White. After having freed him from the initial source of all the dark magic, it is possible Shiro becomes immune to it.

Keith is fighting Zarkon himself, and Shiro lands next to him, parrying one of Zarkon’s blow. Then, they both jump backward to put some distance from him.

“Shiro…? Is that you?” Keith’s voice is surprised.

Shiro nods.

“How do you find White?” the Blue Paladin demands.

“I’ll explain later. For now, we should concentrate on the battle. Haggar lost her source of power, if we can win here, we win the war.”

“How can we do it?” Keith asks. The other Paladins joins them, all around them.

“Dark magic is created by sadness,” Shiro explains. “By a mother that lost her son.”

“We know that,” the Blue Paladin says. “Well, not the second part, but about the sadness. White and Black, combined together, can defeat dark magic, but they will need positive energy.”

“Positive energy?”

The Blue Paladin nods. She leans her hand, so that the other Paladins can grab them. “Just think about your most positive memory,” she comments. “Mine is the first time my father let me help with the kwami.”

“Mine’s the day my father and my mother and my brother came to my first exhibition,” the Green Paladin says.

“The first time I served one of my cake to a client at my parents’ cafeteria,” is the memory of the Yellow Paladin.

The Red Paladin sighs. “The time I was accepted to the art school.”

Keith leans forward his hand for Shiro to take it. “The day I realized my crush appreciated my art.”

Shiro smiles. “The day the Red Paladin saved me for the first time.”

White’s magic is different from Black. Black is raw power, is destruction, White is soft, is reconstruction. Together, they hit Zarkon and erase the dark magic that surrounded him, at the same time they let him live and free him from his sadness.

When the attack ends, there isn’t the usual sadness that came from the Robeast. It is more melancholy, a sweeter feeling, the realization that some things won’t return back.

Keith and Shiro are still hand in hand, as they observe Zarkon. His armor is gone, and he looks around, confused. One of his hand is on his head.

“What… what happened? Where am I?”

“You don’t remember?” Keith asks.

“No… I…” he blinks and then he jumps still as he notices a figure lying down a couple of meters from him. “Honerva!” He reaches her and keeps her in his arm. He’s almost on tears. “I can’t lose you too…”

She blinks her eyes, awake, her hair now completely white and her face twisted in a crazy expression.

“The Miraculous…” she murmurs. “They can bring back Lotor… We need them…”

“No, they can’t,” the Blue Paladin says. “They weren’t made for it. There is something not even magician can defeat. And definitely not with dark magic.”

Honerva is still delirious and Zarkon hugs her tightened.

“Do not fall into sadness again,” Shiro advices him. “She needs you.”

The Blue Paladin brushes Keith’s back. “Let’s go.”

***

“So… it was all because of the grieve of a mother losing his son?” Hunk comments.

“So it seems,” Shiro nods.

Silence fills the room. They are all there, in Allura’s house, sitting around the table with Coran serving tea. The kwami are all around, flying from Paladin to Paladin and take bits of the biscuits. Even if they found out about their identities only a few hours before, there is an atmosphere of familiarity between them Keith is feeling and can appreciate.

“Do not try to feel too bad,” Allura comments. “The loss of a child is terrible. But for us, as a human, need to learn to control our feeling so they can’t become dangerous for others. Sadness, anger, all of them… you prove to be worth to be a Paladin because you understand how to keep them in check.”

“I’m not so sure about it,” Pidge comments. Keith is sure she’s remembering the day his father and brother were endangered by a Robeast and she almost lost control of the power of Green.

Allura places a hand on her shoulder. “What makes you worthy isn’t the ability to not feel sad, but to not let it affect others. Honerva was sad and made everyone else miserable too, including her own husband.”

Pidge nods and smiles, grateful.

“So… what happens now?” Lance asks.

“Since the enemy has been defeated, it’s time for the kwami to return in the box, and for you to your life.”

“Wait, we can’t keep them?” Hunk looks at Yellow, sleeping in his lap.

“Unfortunately, no. They aren’t pet, but magical being. They will disappear otherwise.”

Coran adds, “they can live in the human world for only a small amount of time.”

All of them exchange looks with their kwami. It’s hard to tell them goodbye, especially hard for Shiro and Keith, that are used to their company for much longer. But this is part of life and, in a sort of way, Keith is sure the kwami gave them more with their presence that what they will steal with their absence.

Keith caresses Red’s head and gives a small bump to Black, before he goes to hug Shiro together with White. Pidge and Hunk are crying shamelessly as they grip Green and Yellow in their hands. One after another, they place the miraculous in the box.

Lance is the last. “But wait… what if the sadness to be separated from Blue or Red turn me into a supervillain?”

“Lance,” Allura admonishes him, but there is a little smile on her face.

“Don’t worry,” Hunk pats Lance’s back. “We’ll cheer you up.”

“I don’t want you to do so!”

Coran takes the box and put it away. “Since it is better for everyone to avoid the lingering sadness after the battle, what about a pizza party?”

Allura is about to replies, but Lance and Hunk are faster than her to accept. It follows a long list of website for choosing the right restaurant and a number of phone calls for the parents.

It takes a lot for Keith to manage to have a couple of minutes alone with Shiro.

“You seem sad.”

“I’m not turning into a supervillain,” Shiro reassures him. Keith shot him a not amused look. “I’m a little sad about what happened. It can’t be helped, I suppose.”

“Zarkon seemed free from the control of Honerva’s sadness. Maybe you can help him to gain some… closure.”

“Maybe.” Shiro nods. “Do you really believe I hated you?”

Keith flustered. “Oh, well, it’s not my fault you had this super-model-that-only-considered-big-fashion-names aura.”

“Oh, God. Did I really have that?”

“Yeah, maybe not. Maybe it’s all me.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Keith smiles. “I’m glad you were my partner all along.”

“I’m glad too.” Shiro smiles back. “And now that the cat is out of the box and everything, do you think we can… try another date? One without Robeast. Just… to help our sadness go away.”

“Yeah, I don’t really want to fight you again as a supervillain, so I don’t have a choice but accept.”

“Bolt to you assume I’ll be the supervillain again.”

“Guys, the pizza’s coming!” Lance calls them from the front door.

Keith moves his hand to grab Shiro’s. “You orders pineapple pizza. You are definitely the supervillain here.”

 

 


End file.
